What is New at Vintage Bicycle Press?

July 6, 2010:

Signed Copies of The Competition Bicycle: To celebrate the Tour de France, author Jan Heine will sign each copy of our book The Competition Bicycle ordered until July 25, 2010. The book features the actual bikes on which Eddy Merckx, Andy Hampsten, Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali, René Vietto, as well as many other bikes of great champions like Greg LeMond, Francesco Moser, Sean Kelly and Tony Rominger.

July 1, 2010:

White Hetre Tires Sold Out: The white Grand Bois Hetre 650B x 42 mm tires were intended as a special, one-time production. The bad news: We just sold the last pair. The good news: They will be made again this fall. Until then, we have the red and black tread in stock.

June 24, 2010:

Price Reduction on 700C rims: Grand Bois 700C rims now cost the same as 650B rims: $ 89 per rim.

Based on a custom extrusion, Grand Bois offers the only 23-mm wide, single box ("double wall") rim with a classic box-section profile and polished finish available today. Lightweight, strong and pretty, it is ideal for tires between 28 and 42 mm wide.

June 23, 2010:

3-Year Subscriptions: We now offer 3-year subscriptions, to save you the hassle of having to renew every year or two. (U.S. subscribers only. We cannot predict postage rates, so we cannot offer subscriptions far into the future for international subscribers. Sorry.)

June 10, 2010:

Summer 2010 issue has been mailed. It should reach subscribers by 7/3/2010. Click here for more info on the current issue.

Also updated are our Image Archive of classic bikes featured in Bicycle Quarterly, bike tests, glossary, table of contents and FAQ.

June 7, 2010:

SKF Bottom Brackets with ITALIAN threading: We now have all SKF bottom brackets with Italian threading (except ISIS models). A great solution for that older Italian frame.

April 23, 2010:

Grand Bois Maes Parallel Handlebars: We now have the Grand Bois Maes "Parallel" handlebars in stock. They are a copy of the 1950s Philippe Professionel bars, which featured parallel ramps and bottoms. Apart from their elegant appearance, the flat ramps provide excellent long-distance comfort, but when you throw the bike from side to side in an out-of-the-saddle sprint, your wrists can hit the bars. When out-of-the-saddle sprinting became popular in the late 1960s, Philippe redesigned the "Professionel" handlebars with slightly more sloping ramps – see the Grand Bois Maes (1970s) model.

April 12, 2010:

SKF ISIS bottom brackets: We get a lot of queries from frustrated riders with ISIS cranks. The ISIS standard is not a bad idea, but the larger spindle leaves less room for the bearings. This means that most ISIS bottom brackets use undersize bearings, which don't last long.

On the SKF bottom brackets, the races are ground directly into the spindle and outer sleeve, so there is room for much larger balls and rollers – the same size as the square taper model. This makes the SKF bottom brackets perhaps the most durable ISIS bottom bracket you can buy. SKF offers a two-year warranty on all bottom brackets. Unlike the warranties of other makers, this includes the bearings.

March 31, 2010:

Spring 2010 issue has been mailed. It should reach subscribers by 4/28/2010. Click here for more info on the current issue.

Also updated are our Image Archive of classic bikes featured in Bicycle Quarterly, bike tests, glossary, table of contents and FAQ.

One label for each size/drilling.

Classic shape, polished finish, 23 mm wide.

Modern single-box ("double-wall") construction.

March 22 , 2010:

New Grand Bois rims, 700C and 650B: The first Grand Bois rims were based on a classic extrusion with two small boxes. Great rims, but not ideal for modern, highly asymmetric rear wheels. Most makers of limited-production rims use existing extrusions, and just have them rolled to different diameters, sometimes adding a nice polish as well. However, all existing classic rim profiles are only 19 mm wide, as they are intended for narrow racing tires. That is narrower than is ideal for 30-40 mm wide tires.

Grand Bois commissioned their own, brand-new extrusion for a 23 mm-wide, polished silver, classic rim with a modern single-box ("double-wall") construction. By minimizing material without compromising strength or longevity, these rims turned out lighter than most comparable rims:

650B: 488 g; 700C: 520 g

(Other makers often weigh their rims without eyelets, so you have to add 30 grams to the claimed weight.)

Available in 700C and 650B, 32 and 36 holes. Because of the custom extrusion, these rims aren't cheap, but worth every penny at $89 (650B) and $96 (700C).

Click here for more info. A few of the first-model 650B rims remain in stock at $ 60 each.

February 28, 2010:

Grand Bois hubs in stock: Affordable, but high-quality hub with a classic silver appearance have been hard to find lately – pre-built wheelsets offer much better profit margins. Grand Bois took a proven, high-end, lightweight hub design and had it polished to a high luster. Available in 32 and 36 holes, with 10-speed cassettes compatible with Shimano or Campagnolo cogsets. Click here for more info. Limited quantities in stock, but more on the way.

January 28, 2010:

Ken Taylor at Seattle Bike Expo: Ken will talk about racing, touring and building bikes in England in the 1940s and 1950s. Listen as Ken and Bicycle Quarterly editor Jan Heine discuss features of classic custom bikes made by Jack Taylor, Cinelli, Rene Herse and other master builders.

March 13, 2010, 2:30 p.m. Click here for info.

January 28, 2010:

Classic Framebuilder Panel Discussion at Seattle Bike Expo: Bicycle Quarterly editor Jan Heine will host a discussion with Bill Davidson and Glenn Erickson from Seattle, as well as Ken Taylor (Jack Taylor Cycles, UK). Discussion will focus on how to select a builder for your next custom bicycle, as well as thoughts on the recent resurgence in custom bicycles.

March 13, 2010, 11 a.m. Click here for info.

January 25, 2010:

Cyclos Montagnards on Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Rider Blog: An interview with the three founding members of the Cyclos Montagnards about future plans and the ideas behind the CM.

January 13, 2010:

5% of profits for charity: The earthquake in Haiti emphasized the need for humanitarian aid around the world. Bicycle Quarterly's December charity drive sent more than $2500 to Doctors without Borders and Save the Children, who have facilities in Haiti and are ready to help (see December 9, 2009). However, the need is ongoing, not just during natural disasters, so Vintage Bicycle Press gives 5% of our annual profits to charities.

If you would like to help, please make a contribution to Doctors Without Borders and/or Save The Children.

January 13, 2010:

Mitsuboshi 650B tires in stock: We found another small batch of brand-new Mitsuboshi Trimline 650B x 38 mm tires. Very limited quantities, while supplies last.

January 14, 2010:

Sorry, already sold out.

December 22, 2009:

Ernest Csuka, 1928-2009: Ernest Csuka, Ernest Csuka, constructeur of Alex Singer bikes for many decades, died today. He was 81 years old. Ernest Csuka was the last of a generation of great constructeurs, whose work in post-war France had shaped modern bicycles, with lightweight tubing, modern geometries, and many aluminum components which later found their way to racing bikes. Many of the bikes Ernest Csuka built have been ridden hard for decades, and still are ridden today. They combine light weight and a light feel with quality and durability.

Ernest will be missed not only as an incredible fount of knowledge about cycling (he frequently contributed to Bicycle Quarterly), but also for his wit, humor and friendship. Until he suffered a stroke in 2008, he rode his bike every Sunday, rain or shine, with his friends . Our editor was lucky to join him on many of these rides over the years, and not only marvelled at his mastery of the bike (even at age 80, he still had some of his famous sprint left), but also laughed at the many jokes shared by this tight-knit group of friends. "Nénès," as he was called by his friends, will be missed by all. As they say, they don't make them like this any longer.

December 15, 2009:

Rare, out-of-print books: If you are looking for a classic cycling book from Tony Oliver, Ian Hibell, Daniel Rebour or Clifford Graves, we may have it for sale. Check our "classics" section for current stock available.

December 9, 2009:

Charity Drive a Success! Readers like you made our charity drive (see entry on December 7) a great success. We booked 117 renewals and new subscriptions, plus 12 book sales, as well as two additional donations totaling just over $ 2000 for Save The Children and Doctors Without Borders. More donations will be made from mailed orders postmarked on 12/7/09. Thank you!

If you missed the charity drive or would like to make an additional donation, click on the links above to donate to these charities. Or give to your local food bank. For information on the credibility of charities, check Charity Navigator.

December 9, 2009:

700C tubes: Quality tubes can be hard to find, and we have had problems with "no-name" tubes suddenly losing air. In addition to 650B tubes, we now offer Schwalbe 700C tubes in two sizes for tires from 18 - 32 mm wide.

December 7, 2009:

Fight Hunger and Subscribe to Bicycle Quarterly! I read in the paper the other day that 25% of all children in the U.S. are receiving food stamps, because their families are too poor to feed them adequately.

Charities are seeing decreasing donations, as everybody feels pinched, but the need is greater than ever. To do our part, here is our offer, good through midnight on Tuesday, December 8, 2009:

Vintage Bicycle Press will donate $15 for each subscription or renewal to Bicycle Quarterly, or each purchase of our book The Competition Bicycle to two charities, split evenly:

- Save The Children
- Doctors Without Borders

These organizations are non-political, and they have a four-star rating, with more than 87% of donations going to recipients, and not overhead.

If your subscription still is current, please buy the book. If you have the book already and are a subscriber, you can add a year or two by renewing now, and we will make the same donation. For checks or money orders, the date of the postmark counts...

Check back on Thursday, 12/9, to see how much we have raised.

December 1, 2009:

Mitsuboshi 650B tires in stock: This is the tire that started the 650B movement in North America. Used by Bicycle Quarterly's editor in Paris-Brest-Paris 2003. Trimlines combine durability with speed and a supple ride. The tread is deep enough to provide traction off-pavement, but the tread blocks are large enough that they don't squirm like knobbies. Today, we prefer the Grand Bois Hetres, but many bikes can't fit 42 mm wide tires, whereas the 38 mm Trimlines just fit. We found a small batch of brand-new Mitsuboshi Trimlines. Limited quantities, while supplies last.

November 27, 2009:

We now offer Gift Certificates. They are good for a whole year, and simple to redeem in our secure shopping basket. Use them for magazine subscriptions and back issues, books or components.

November 24, 2009:

Nitto Bike Stands: We have been looking for nice bike stands for a while. We persuaded Nitto to make us a few more of their wonderful fillet-brazed bike stands. The stand resembles an upside-down Nitto rear rack, which cradles your bike's rear wheel securely and without scratching paint or components.

November 21, 2009:

Winter 2009 issue has been mailed. It should reach subscribers by 12/23/09. Click here for more info on the current issue.

Also updated are our Image Archive of classic bikes featured in Bicycle Quarterly, bike tests, glossary, table of contents and FAQ.

November 20, 2009:

New Sample Article online: The development of Campagnolo's first parallelogram derailleur, the Gran Sport, from which all modern derailleurs descended. Click here to read this and other sample articles.

November 19, 2009:

Georgena Terry talks to BQ editor Jan Heine about comfort and speed: Georgena Terry, owner of Terry Bicycles, chats with Jan about tire pressure, suspension losses and speed. Listen to the conversation here.

November 18, 2009:

List of articles by topic: Click here for a list of the most important Bicycle Quarterly articles on each topic, from tire tests to historic articles about individual builders or personalities like Daniel Rebour or Vélocio.

November 17, 2009:

Smart Move – Damaged Copies. We received a few Smart Move books that were damaged during shipping. Nothing serious, just slightly bumped corners, but we don't want to sell them at full price, nor send them back to Austria. So they are available for 33% off ($50 instead of $75), which is below our cost. SOLD OUT.

November 15, 2009:

PayPal Payment Option. In addition to Visa and Mastercard, Vintage Bicycle Press now also accepts PayPal for payments.

October 26, 2009:

Two Favorite Books Added to VBP Bookstore. Paul Fournel's Need for the Bike is one of the most delightful cycling books ever written. Fournel is a philosopher who expresses what makes cycling so special. David Gordon Wilson's Bicycling Science is a summary of the state of our knowledge on bicycles (ca. 2004). It includes a chapter on balance and steering by BQ contributor Jim Papadopoulos. It's a must-read for anybody interested in the technical aspects of bicycles.

Both are available in the VBP Bookstore.

October 24, 2009:

Interview with BQ Editor Jan Heine. Dirt Rag's Marie Autrey interviewed our editor in 2008, and the interview finally appeared in Bicycle Times this fall. You can also read it online.

October 14, 2009:

Oregon Manifest Constructeur Challenge. Bicycle Quarterly's editor went to Portland to get first-hand impressions on the urban transportation bikes made by North American custom builders. His report from the road will be in the Winter 2009 issue of Bicycle Quarterly. There you'll learn which bikes held up and which broke, which were fast and which were slow, which were well-designed and which had obvious flaws.

October 10, 2009:

Price increase on Grand Bois "Randonneur" handlebars. All Grand Bois handlebars have been strengthened to meet new European safety regulations.* This makes them about 20 grams heavier, but more importantly, it has increased manufacturing costs of the "Randonneur" model, as the thicker material is harder to bend. In fact, it always has been a very difficult shape to bend, which is why most "Randonneur" handlebars simplify the shape by moving the "rise" toward the outside of the handlebars, where it doesn't do much for hand comfort.

* No Grand Bois bars ever have failed.

Photo: Ryan Nute

Sept. 29, 2009:

The exhibit "The Art of the Constructeur Bicycle: Alex Singer and René Herse" was held in Seattle September 24-26, 2009. Several hundred people visited the exhibit, which featured 12 of the finest bikes from Herse and Singer, plus a 1940s Barra with aluminum frame.

Photos by Stuart Fletcher.

Photos by Ryan Nute.

Sept. 27, 2009

Interbike 2009: At the Electra booth, a well-thumbed copy of Vintage Bicycle Press' book The Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles shows the inspiration behind Electra's new "retro" models and components.

Photo: Will deRosset

Sept. 26, 2009:

A new Allroad ride in the Colorado Front Range has been added to our Rides Archive.

Sept. 25, 2009:

Lower prices for Bicycle Quarterly back issues. Order Volumes 1-7 together and get a discount. Also, we have reduced the prices of back issues for international readers, as we can mail them in "flat rate" envelopes and boxes now.

Sept. 25, 2009:

Autumn 2009 issue has been mailed. It should reach subscribers by 10/19/09. Click here for more info on this issue.

Sept. 20, 2009:

Tire Change Challenge

How long does it take to fix a flat? Click here to see BQ contributor Mark Vande Kamp change a rear tire in less than 90 seconds. (We assumed he ran over a big nail, so he didn't need to check the tire for foreign objects that might re-puncture the tube.)

June 30, 2009:

The Cyclos Montagnards seek to emulate the spirit of the early randonneurs by providing a series of challenges. Becoming a Cyclo Montagnard is a matter of completing one of these challenges. Bicycle Quarterly's editorial team recently completed the first Cyclos Montagnards challenge.

Click here to subscribe to Bicycle Quarterly!

"Money Back" guarantee: If you subscribe to Bicycle Quarterly and don't like the magazine, let us know, and we will gladly refund the unused portion of your subscription.

Also new or updated:

• The current issue of Bicycle Quarterly.

• Rides Archive with great rides off the beaten path.

• Image Archive with color photos of bicycles featured in Bicycle Quarterly.

• Bikes tested in Bicycle Quarterly.

• Full table of contents (scroll down to the bottom for current issue).

• A list of articles that cover various topics.

• Glossary of many terms and names found in Bicycle Quarterly.

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).